Strange Noises
by stickysugar
Summary: Marcus accidentally overhears Esca having a private moment and no matter how hard he tries, the roman can't stop thinking about it. Marcus/Esca.
1. Chapter 1

Marcus woke to the unpleasant sensation of his leg being torn apart- or that's what it felt like, at least. He bit his lip to stop from crying out and balled his hands into fists, willing the pain away. After several agonizing minutes, the pain seemed to peter out and Marcus was able to relax once more. He glanced out the window. It was still dark outside, signaling the middle of the night. How annoying that he was up at this time, and not feeling particularly sleepy.

Marcus shut his eyes regardless, not wanting to be tired tomorrow. Tomorrow there would be people to speak to, his leg to be taken care of, and a useless slave to command. Marcus supposed it was better than having nothing to command… Or about the same experience.

Seeing as sleep was currently escaping him, Marcus rolled onto his side and tried to think of happier times. The struggle his mind went through to try and recapture those moments only depressed him more, and restless, the roman stood and stretched his limbs. A quick circuit around the dark grounds would serve to ease his mind; to tire his body. Then he could fall asleep once more and leave his anxieties behind for the night.

Marcus walked to the front of the house, passing through the various sitting rooms; dining rooms… The library… The meeting room… It was slow-going through every chamber as Marcus limped as carefully as he could manage. The thought that no one could see him now gave him some relief, at least- on those few occasions that his uncle prodded him into leaving the house, Marcus had been determined to make his gait one of a man who had never incurred the injury he had- the man he once was. All that had accomplished was that he had almost hurt himself again, and made a spectacle in the marketplace.

Marcus came to a stop at the front door, catching his breath. The walk hadn't been physically tiring by any means- but every time Marcus landed on his bad leg wrong, the pain made his chest tight, making it harder to breathe. He cast a look out the nearest window, taking in the calm of the outside world. He closed his eyes and wished that he could absorb that peace; let it wash over him and smother his pride.

Marcus opened his eyes and his leg was still injured and he didn't feel very peaceful at all.

Marcus took a different route back to his bedroom, passing by the other bedchambers. There were four, including his. His uncle slept in one, and Esca slept in another. The slaves' was the smallest of the chambers, sparsely furnished with a bed and a small table, where Esca kept his meager possessions.

Marcus shook his head as he neared the slaves' room, a distinct feeling of annoyance washing over him. He disliked interacting with Esca- Marcus never knew what to say, or how to direct him… Or what to really even do with him. In the past, Marcus never had his own slaves, because he didn't have much need for them. His uncle had insinuated that Marcus could use the extra help now that he was… How had his uncle put it? 'Incapacitated.' The thought made Marcus even less willing to make use of the slaves' help. If anything, the roman-

- froze in the corridor, a few feet away from Esca's door. What was that noise just now? Marcus narrowed his eyes and crept forward, straining his hearing.  
>Breaths. That's all it was. Unsteady sighs, interspersed with sudden gasps for air. As Marcus neared the slaves' room, more noises became apparent- they were faint, but Marcus recognized them well enough.<p>

It seemed by now he would even be used to it- it had been a common issue in the various army barracks Marcus had spent most of his life in- but the roman still couldn't stop the warmth in his cheeks. Men had needs and if there were no one suitable enough to help take care of those needs, then it made sense for a man to take matters into his own hands. Literally enough.

But most had the common decency to keep it well under wraps, didn't they? Marcus grimaced. Perhaps things were different where Esca was raised. Or not, Marcus thought, as common sense made an appearance in his overcrowded mind. Esca was in the privacy of his own room, in the middle of the night- how was he to know that his master would be stalking the halls at this hour and eavesdropping on him?

Marcus hurried off to his own room as quietly as he could. What a mess. Why had he stood there so long in the first place?! Perhaps he was sleepier than he thought. Overtired. Marcus laid down on his bed and settled into the most comfortable position he could manage. He shut his eyes. He did feel tired. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he knew he wouldn't be awake much longer.


	2. Chapter 2

"Take Esca with you."

With those words, his uncle completely marred Marcus' day. "Why should I do that?" Marcus asked, neglecting to even look at the slave gathering his things in preparation of leaving.

Marcus' uncle folded his arms across his chest. "You remember what happened last time, don't you?"

Marcus turned away. Of course he remembered. Marcus had left his cane behind while accompanying his uncle to the marketplace, and pushed his wounded leg to its limits, until it gave out. It would have been bad enough to just fall over, but Marcus had dragged a vendor's cart down with him, spilling his goods all over. The incident earned him his fair share of jeering looks, and a fee from the vendor for damaging his wares.

"Well?" His uncle prodded.

"… Yes," Marcus replied through grit teeth. He could already see there was no getting around it. Esca would be accompanying him to the market whether he liked it or not.

"Then you know why," Marcus' uncle continued. "Esca.

The slave turned to regard Marcus' uncle. He didn't seem offended by the conversation that had just gone on; in fact, he looked as if he hadn't even been listening.

"Go with Marcus to the marketplace. You'll most likely need to carry the produce back," Marcus' uncle explained.

Esca nodded and looked to Marcus, who haughtily grabbed his cane and shoved the front door open. "Hurry up," he barked over his shoulder.

Esca quickened his pace just a bit so as to catch up. Even with his head start, Marcus was slow with the cane, and Esca was at his side in seconds. A minute of silence passed before Esca decided to speak. "How is your leg?"

Marcus' frown deepened. "How does it look?" He spat.

Esca smirked to himself. It was one of his few pleasures in his new life to terrorize his master. Marcus made it easy enough, being so stubborn.

"It looks bad," Esca replied innocently. "Does it hurt?"

Marcus stopped walking and glared at Esca. "Yes, it hurts. Are we through with these idiotic questions yet?"

Esca glared back at the roman until he turned away, walking again.

"You should relax," The slave continued. "All that anger isn't good for you." Esca let out a long sigh. "But I suppose-"

Marcus had stopped walking again. His face was blank; the only part of him betraying any emotion at all was his hand, gripping the cane much tighter than seemed necessary.

"Marcus?" Esca prompted.

"Be quiet," the roman suddenly hissed. "Not another word."

Esca bit back a response. Something in Marcus' tone told the slave that he was serious this time. So he supposed he would give his foolish master a moment or two of reprieve.

* * *

><p>Marcus rushed to his room upon returning home, not even bothering to help Esca set the groceries down, or greet his uncle. Once in the comfort of his own room, Marcus dropped his cane and dipped his hands into the bowl of water beside his bed. He traced his features with wet fingers, inhaling slowly as he did so.<p>

What a miserable experience that excursion had been- and of course, it was all Esca's fault. Esca and that ridiculous, drawn out, whispery sigh that Marcus was positive was the same one to leave his lips when he heard him the night before.

So, of course, Marcus could think of nothing else for the duration of the trip. And with Esca right there, the entire time… Marcus let out a low breath of annoyance. If only there was some way to get rid of him. Marcus supposed he could sell Esca, but the thought was fleeting. This was a temporary problem. Once Marcus allowed that certain memory to fade, it would all be a moot point.


	3. Chapter 3

Displeased. Irritated. Frustrated. To Marcus, those all seemed to be accurate descriptors for what he was feeling as he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling.  
>Marcus continued to list off synonyms- angry, upset, irate- hoping that the dull activity would help him to fall asleep. He had retired to bed hours ago; earlier than usual, but it hadn't done him any good. At least his leg wasn't bothering him as much as the night before. Besides the ill-fated trip to the market, Marcus had stayed off it most of the day.<p>

Marcus rubbed his eyes wearily. He really was tired- but of course, that slave was getting in the way of things. Esca seemed to be the running theme of the day, and not in a good way. It was more of a, 'can't stop picturing him in various sexually compromising situations,' way. Marcus didn't even particularly enjoy those thoughts- they were nothing more than a nuisance, really. Especially since they absolutely refused to stop.

Marcus sat up, looking around his bedchamber. It was suffocating, to be trapped in such a confined room with only his thoughts to plague him. Standing carefully, Marcus grabbed his cane and made his way to the other bedchambers. He moved as quietly as he could, his heart pounding. He was sure that he would wake the whole house; that everyone would come running into the hallway to see what the perverted cripple was doing up so late. But even the thought of being caught didn't stop Marcus' legs from carrying him forward towards Esca's room.

Marcus settled outside of Esca's door and listened. He was sure that if he concentrated, he could hear Esca breathing; see the rise and fall of his chest as he slept. Somewhat satisfied, Marcus returned to his room and slept fitfully for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>On the fourth night, Marcus began to worry that he was losing his mind. Sane men didn't stand outside the doors of others, listening to them sleep in the middle of the night. But these reoccurring excursions seemed to be the only thing that calmed him down lately. If he hoped to get a decent amount of sleep, this strange indulgence would have to be endured.<p>

Marcus sat outside of Esca's room that night, not bothering to be overly discreet. His visits to Esca's door had grown longer and longer- he had been there for at least twenty minutes the night before.

Tonight, however, he hadn't been there nearly as long. It had only been a minute or two so far, and the chambers were shrouded in eerie silence. Marcus pulled his good knee up to his chest and closed his eyes, content to just listen.

"What are you doing there?"

Marcus just about jumped out of his skin at the slave's door opening; Esca poking his head out of the gap. The roman scrambled about, grabbing his cane and hurrying to his feet. "I- I fell-" Marcus shut his mouth, trying to think of an alibi. Why hadn't he thought of one sooner, just in case?

"You fell?" Esca echoed, stepping out fully into the hallway. He shut the door behind him and, judging by the look on his face, he was having a hard time believing Marcus' excuse.

Marcus mentally cursed his weakness for fast-thinking. "Yes," he replied. "I fell and upset my leg, so I was trying to catch my breath before continuing on my way."

Esca's expression didn't change. "And where were you going?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Oh." Esca brought his hand up to his face, as if in thought. "By any chance, might it be the same place you were going last night?"  
>Marcus' heart dropped.<p>

"Because I could have sworn that I heard you last night too. The noise that cane makes is very distinctive…" Esca rapped his knuckles against the wall, mimicking the tap of the cane against the ground. "And maybe even the night before that…"

"You're mistaken," Marcus retorted, his mouth dry. "You're hearing things."

"Mm," Esca murmured. "Maybe." He was quiet as he watched Marcus awkwardly hobble away, and the slave resolved to figure out just what his master was doing so late at night.


	4. Chapter 4

Marcus thought he should be happy that he couldn't bring himself to participate in any more visits to the hallway outside of Esca's bedchamber- but that imagined happiness was nothing more than wishful thinking at this point, as the roman lay in bed and stared up at his ceiling. There had been something relaxing about the routine, not to mention the added excitement that came with the thought of perhaps catching Esca in the middle of pleasuring himself again- not that Marcus had, and not that he would admit that he might have wanted to.

It wasn't the slave himself that attracted Marcus, the roman reasoned. Marcus was just sexually starved in general, and stumbling upon Esca taking care of his own needs must've made Marcus' body recall that it had been awhile for him too. A long while.

But what was there to do about that? In Marcus' eyes, no one he currently lived with was suitable for helping him to take care of such things. The roman supposed that only left himself. The idea of masturbation didn't particularly excite Marcus, but if it helped him to fall asleep, and perhaps relax a little, he surmised that it couldn't hurt. It was a means to an end; nothing more.

The roman tugged his pants down and carefully wrapped his fingers around himself, slowly working towards an orgasm. Eyes shut tight, Marcus did his best to keep his mind blank and focused entirely on the task at hand.

A few minutes later, Marcus wasn't sure he had the right approach to things. All in all, it was a pleasant experience, but his climax still seemed uncomfortably far away- and Marcus wanted to keep the incident as short as possible. His thoughts drifted to Esca. What did the slave do when he needed to push himself over the edge?

The errant thought brought with it another flood of terribly inappropriate images involving the slave and before Marcus knew what was happening, he had come in an abrupt fashion, his chest heaving with every breath.

How annoying that his release had been spurred along by thoughts of his slave. "Dammit, Esca," Marcus breathed. He lay there in silence until, suddenly, his door opened, and there stood Esca himself, his eyes open wider than Marcus had ever seen them before. "You heard me?" The slave asked.

Marcus gaped at Esca, making a few hasty movements to cover himself with his blanket. "What are you doing here?!" The roman hissed.

Esca turned away, his face red. "I- I just wanted to see if you were going to walk around again tonight, like you've been doing," he explained. "I didn't mean to… To interrupt…" The slave swallowed hard, at a loss for words.

Marcus made a noise of disgust, his hands balling into fists. "If- if you knew what I was doing, why would you come barging in?"

Esca hazarded a glance back at his master. "You… You called me in," he replied.

"I did not!" Marcus snarled.

Esca frowned. "You said, 'Dammit, Esca,' as if you were-"

Marcus blushed. "I wasn't calling you in!"

"You said my name," Esca persisted. "Why would you-" He froze and slowly rose an accusatory finger towards the roman. "You- you were-"

"I was not," Marcus interjected slowly, trying to stop the next few words from leaving Esca's mouth.

Esca crossed his arms over his chest, the horror on his face tempered. "Do you take me for a fool?"

Marcus wasn't sure how to respond. "No," he answered. "Now leave! This has been embarrassing enough."

Esca seemed to relax a bit at the roman's admission. "Don't be embarrassed. I'm used to this sort of thing."

Marcus stifled the desire to ask Esca just what he meant by that.

"It's my fault for misreading the situation," the slave continued. "And sneaking around."

Marcus laid back in his bed. "Just forget it and go," he grumbled.

Esca bit his lip, looking like he wanted to say something more. Thinking better of it, he exited the room and left Marcus to curse his absolutely rotten luck.


	5. Chapter 5

Marcus couldn't be sure that Esca was avoiding him, but it certainly felt like it. It was a little hard to tell, since they never spent very much time together anyway, but Marcus hadn't seen the slave all day, not even during breakfast or lunch. As dinner approached, Marcus' uncle commented on the slave's absence, prodding Marcus to go check on him.

"He's not well," Marcus said quickly. It was the first excuse to pop into his mind to explain away Esca's lack of presence, and Marcus hoped his uncle would not continue to insist he go see the slave. Marcus wasn't feeling particularly eager to see Esca, and he couldn't blame the slave for avoiding him as well.

"Why didn't you bring this to my attention earlier?" Marcus' uncle asked, his brow furrowed. "Does he require medicine? A doctor?"

Marcus put his hands up. "He's fine, uncle; just feeling under the weather. If he is still unwell by tomorrow then you can have the doctor take a look at him."

"Alright," Marcus' uncle ceded. "Why don't you check on him once more? Has he even eaten today?"

To be honest, Marcus wasn't sure. The roman let out a sigh of annoyance and turned on his heel, towards Esca's room.

"Esca?" Marcus rapped his knuckles against the slave's door. There was no answer. "I know I'm the last person you want to see right now," Marcus continued, "But my uncle is-"

Esca's door opened a bit, and the slave peered at Marcus through the narrow opening. "I'm not feeling well," he said simply.

Marcus blinked. "… You're not?" Perhaps the slave hadn't been avoiding him at all, then.

The slave nodded. "Would you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" Marcus asked.

"I'd like for you to come see me tonight. We need to talk," Esca explained carefully.

"We're talking now," Marcus pointed out.

Esca scowled. "Are you going to come or not?"

"Fine," Marcus agreed, exasperated. "I'll see you tonight."

* * *

><p>Marcus left his room quietly, feeling overly mindful of the sound his cane made as it hit the ground. After Esca had pointed it out to him the night before, the noise the cane produced seemed deafening in the otherwise calm halls. Marcus had even considered leaving without it, but the thought of falling or injuring himself yet again convinced the roman that it would be best to merely focus on being as silent as possible, even with the cane.<p>

As Marcus neared Esca's door, a flood of barely muffled noises greeted his ears. A short gasp here, a light moan there- Marcus grimaced. Why was this happening now? Had Esca forgotten he was coming tonight?

Marcus could hear Esca's breath getting faster, and he blushed, wondering what he should do. It was getting embarrassingly difficult to think. Marcus raised a hand to his head, massaging his temples. He was torn between returning to his room and waiting things out. He was curious what the slave had wanted to tell him in the first place. After a moment more of thought, Marcus raised his hand and knocked on the door. "Esca?"

The noises coming from the slave's room halted. "Come in," Esca called.

Marcus hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Come in," Esca repeated, his voice taking a harsher edge. Marcus took it to mean annoyance and opened the door to the slave's room, his eyes widening at what he saw.


	6. Chapter 6

The urge to run away wasn't one that came to Marcus very often. As a soldier, the impulse to flee didn't serve him very well, although there had been select times when all he could do was retreat. He supposed it was all as much about being smart as it was about being brave.

At the moment, Marcus wished he were a little less brave.

Esca bit his lip as the roman's eyes bore into him. The slave was sitting in the middle of his bed, nude, face turned away from Marcus. "I thought we'd be on fairer terms if you…" Esca hesitated, his words stuck in his throat. "If-if you saw me like this as well."

Marcus wasn't sure how to respond, or if he should at all. His mind commanded him to leave the room entirely, but another part of him evidently wanted to stay, as his feet seemed rooted to the ground. As Marcus ran his tongue over dry lips, he decided to say something. "This wasn't necessary."

Esca nodded slowly. "You're right," he conceded. "But I had another idea, too." He looked up, his gaze locked on the wall behind the roman.

"… What is it?" Marcus prompted, agitated by Esca's reticence.

"It's just-" Esca finally looked to Marcus himself. "It gets boring; doing things by yourself," he finished softly.

Marcus felt faint under the weight of Esca's words. Before he could stop himself, he asked, "Do you… Want me to…"

Esca nodded quickly, before the roman could even finish his sentence, and Marcus couldn't help but think that he had never found the slave so attractive before. Marcus stepped forward and laid his cane against the wall as Esca shifted across the sheets of his bed, trying to make space for the other man.

Marcus settled into the slave's bed and looked to Esca, waiting for a command of some sort. He had imagined similar scenarios to this one before, but not involving himself. Without a word, Esca reached over, and with a careful, halting touch, pulled Marcus' shirt over his head.

Marcus raised his arms to facilitate the removal, and once it was off, the roman was greeted by a small smile from Esca.

"How's your leg?" Esca asked, tossing his master's shirt to the floor in what Marcus thought to be a rather indelicate fashion.

Shrugging, Marcus wondered what his leg had to do with the matter at hand. "It doesn't feel so bad at the moment," he replied.

Esca nodded. "So it's fine…" He carefully swung one leg over Marcus' waist, straddling him. "If I do this?"

Marcus wanted to confirm that it was, but the words wouldn't leave his throat.

"I'll take that as a yes," Esca continued, his voice taking on a tint of laughter.

Finally managing to nod, Marcus gingerly placed his hands on Esca's hips, trying to ground himself. He found it strange that Esca wasn't as outwardly flustered as Marcus felt, and he wondered if, since he had already come this far, he could be a little bolder.

Leaning forward, Marcus covered the slave's lips with his own, and was met with a hum of pleasure from the other man. Encouraged, Marcus allowed his fingers to ghost over Esca's torso, trailing lower until he reached the slave's hardening cock.

Esca's breath hitched and he recoiled, slipping out of Marcus' reach. The roman was about to apologize when Esca reached for Marcus' pants, hurriedly whispering, "Wait."

Marcus bit his lip and stifled a noise of displeasure as Esca pulled the roman's pants away, brushing roughly past his bad leg while trying to bare his lower half.

"Sorry-"

"It's fine," Marcus cut in quickly, pulling Esca close again. The slave was much less resistant this time, pressing himself against the roman. Marcus was suddenly aware of how fast he was breathing; how loudly his heart was pounding in his own chest.

Shifting his hips up and down, Esca let out a low gasp as he ground his erection into Marcus' own. Marcus reached down and took both of them into his grasp, tightening his grip and causing the slave to cry out. Esca clamped his hand over his mouth, his expression needy.

Marcus continued to apply pressure, bringing his hand up and down in a fast paced rhythm. The muffled sounds coming from Esca's mouth were heavenly, and Marcus didn't want them to stop. Those noises were the cause of this whole thing, Marcus thought to himself. Would his obsession be even worse after this? He couldn't bring himself to care much either way.

The slave's hands dug into Marcus' shoulders, his breath coming out in heavy pants as the roman continued his frenetic stroking. Marcus paused for a moment, bringing his thumb up to run over the heads of their cocks, evoking a whimper from Esca's lips.

"Marcus," Esca hissed.

A smirk appeared on the roman's lips. He had never loved the sound of his own name more. Leaning forward, he covered the slave's neck with kisses and gentle bites, enjoying the way Esca's grip tightened further, leaving marks on the roman's back.

Esca's cries were becoming louder, as he had completely given up on trying to silence himself. It was just as well, Marcus thought. He doubted anyone could hear, and even if they could, the roman thought it to be a fair enough trade off.

With a final, shuddering breath, Esca came, sinking against Marcus as his limbs went weak. With a few more pulls, Marcus came as well, leaning back against the bed as his chest rose and fell heavily against Esca's.

A few minutes passed, and as Esca caught his breath, he looked up, studying the expression on Marcus' face.

"That was one of my better ideas, don't you think?" Esca asked.

Marcus was quiet as he stared up at the ceiling, feeling at peace. He knew that at some point, he would have to return to his room, and he wondered how he would manage it in the state he was in.

"Come to my room tomorrow night," Marcus finally told Esca, looking to him with a slight smirk. "I have something I want to talk to you about as well."

Esca chuckled, seeming to get the message. "I suppose I'll see you then."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Woohoo, it's done! I have no idea how this story got to be so long. I had originally planned for it to be like, 5 pages at most -_-<strong>  
><strong>But whatever. I've got another story with these two that I'll be finishing up soon; more of a straightforward PWP, so look forward to that! Thank you for reading.<strong>


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